Amchit is a coastal town at the feet of Mount Lebanon, about 40 km north of Beirut. The idea was two-fold: integrate the house within a rugged terrain, sloping from east to west, while commanding the best sea views for its occupants.
The architects at Blankpage demonstrate a particular sensitivity to the landscape, integrating the building within the topography, avoiding major disruptions to the land. This sensitivity is reflected also in the plans of the house, which show the interrelation between inside and outside, between architecture and nature.
Description of project by Blankpage Architects
Conceived as a layering of decks, the beach house seeks to maximize its relationship with the sea through a visual and compositional celebration of horizontality in general and the Mediterranean horizon in particular. The slabs are held by a minimal steel structure made of equally sized square columns on a regular module of 2.55m, as well as a discreet glass enclosure.
Given the inclined nature of the site, the house is approached by car on the street level just below the upper deck. At the external landing entrance, the circulation interconnects the three levels of the house. The upper platform contains the master bedroom that opens up on an elongated lap pool and expansive sun deck. The middle platform houses two bedrooms and a family living. Finally, the lower deck serves as a reception area that extends outdoors towards the sea through an infinity pool as well as a staircase to the shore. In addition to the inner circulation core, a smooth promenade formed by a system of external ramps and staircases connects the platforms, linking the various levels of the rocky landscape that stretches between the street all the way to the sea.
The rhythms of the steel structure and wooden decking create a multiplicity of overlapping patterns of shadows that vary in direction and length all through the day rendering the simple structure at once complex and alive. At the particular moment of the sunset, the house, oriented almost due west at the elevation that faces the sea, acts as photographic diaphragm that invites the rays of the setting sun into the depths of the house, dashing the prototypical spaces in a horizontal glow of deep red.
CREDITS.-
Architects.- BLANKPAGE Architects (Karim Nader, Patrick Mezher, Walid Ghantous).
Collaborators.- architect in charge: Jemma Chidiac, mechanical engineering: Bachir Saade, electrical engineering: Roger Noujeim, structural engineering: Antoine Bou Chedid.
Dimensions.- plot dimensions: 10.5 meters x 44.3 meters, plot area: 471 square meters, built area: 430 square meters.
Design dates.- May 2009 - May 2010.
Groundbreaking.- January 2011.
Construction completed.- August 2014.
Location.- Amchit, Lebanon.
